The stars glitter brightly and they begin to move about. Then they disappear and show the face of a girl and the girl gets up from her seat and walks down the street, and then she looks up as the camera zooms away from her and eventually shows the whole section of Midgar. The Final Fantasy 7 logo appears broadly and then the camera zooms over to another section of Midgar where a train is stopping.
     A guard walk over to the door and suddenly a cute girl with brown hair, terrorist like clothes and a red headband jumps out. Before the guard could react, she takes his arm and launches him over her back, flipping him hard on the ground. The guards are alerted and begin running to the scene when another terrorist jumps out of the car, this time a guy wearing similar clothes and a also a red headband. Another guard attempts to attack the woman terrorist but the guy jumps him and kicks him in the chest. The guard cries out from pain and he falls flat on the ground.

Jessie: (The woman terrorist) "Thanks, Biggs!" (Smiles)

Biggs: (Winking) "No problem, but let's hurry and go! Come on, newcomer!" (looking at the car next to him.)

    The car's roof door opens and out jumped Cloud, an mercenary that the terrorists hired. He jumped out gymnastically and landed on his feet. The other terrorists run off when more guards run past him. Cloud saw this and took out his Buster Sword in defense. The guards attempted to gun him down but they were too slow. Slow slashes at them and within moments, they were out of commission. Cloud runs after the two and they enter a gate area. Cloud walks up to them. Wedge, the third terrorist was dressed the same as Biggs and Jessie and also a little soft around the belly walked up to him.

Wedge: "So you're the new recruit? Wow! What's your name?"

Cloud: "...Cloud."

Wedge: "My name is..."

Cloud: "I don't care what your names are, I just want to do this mission and then I'll be outta here."

Biggs: "Wasn't he in SOLDIER? Isn't he the enemy then?"

Wedge: "No, he WAS in SOLDIER but he quit and is with us now."

    A large black guy runs up to them, he was in an edgy mood. He was dressed in a commando sort of getup and had a flaming skull tatoo on his arm. He had a very buffed physique and eyes that could tear into you.

Barret: "Hey! I thought I told you guys not to stay in a group!" (Grouches at them a little more and then turns to Cloud.)

Jessie: (Fingering a number pad on the door.) Code deciphered. (The door opens and all except Cloud and Barret run in.)

Barret: "Ex-SOLDIER huh? I don't trust you!" (Runs after them)

Cloud: (Shrugs and looks up, he could see a giant factory like building with a Shinra sign that says "Mako #1" and Cloud also runs in after them.)

    Cloud runs to where everyone else was, at the secondary gates. Jessie opens them and they all run in, but Cloud is forced to fight another group of soldiers along with a Guard hound. The guard hound attacks with his tentacle and whips cloud with it, luckily it only hit his Copper bangle, a piece of armor. The soldiers also try to shoot him with the machine gun, only to get hacked by Cloud's sword. The guard hound met a similar fate. Cloud then turns and runs into the Mako reactor. Cloud ran up to Barret and the others.

Barret: (Turns to him) Hey, Yo! Is this your first time in a mako reactor?

Cloud: (Shakes his head) Well, you do know I've worked for Shinra.

Barret: The reactors process Mako, people use it every day. Little by little, the reactors will suck up the energy of the planet and that'll be that.

Cloud: (Shrugs) It's not my problem. The only thing I care about is completing this mission and getting out of here before security and roboguards come.

Barret: "..." (Barret runs to the corner and shakes his fist and curses silently)

Jessie: (Fingers the control pad beside the door) Code deciphered. (The door opens with a loud scraping sound. They all run through it and Biggs opens the next security door and all run into the elevator. Cloud pushes the elevator button and reach the bottom level. They all get out and run into the railed area before the reactor and enter

    They run to the railed area and into the actual reactor. Cloud and Barret follow Jessie down the ladders into the larger area below. The mako glowed with a green light and fumes rose off from it. They run to the engine room and enter the room. Meanwhile, below the bridge a kid floats up to the top of the mako stream and he looks up. He found a ledge and jumped on it. He shivered, cold and naked.

Boy: "...where am I? And how in the world did I get here? ...was everything before just a dream? My mother...she...? (He looks up at a soldier who was running around on the platform. The Boy then jumps clear forty feet up to the platform and lands on the soldier. The soldier crashes to the ground. The boy jumps off him and then waved his arms. All of the clothes flew off of him, leaving him in just his birthday suit. The boy puts on his new found clothes.) "These are way too loose..." (With another wave of his hands, the clothes glow a yellow glow and shrink to his perfect size.) Thanks bud, I can't walk around this town naked, can't I? Well, these clothes will do until I find some REAL clothes..." (jumps onto the wall and climbs it to the top level and vanishes in the darkness.)

Soldier: (Standing Naked on the platform, his hands shielding his you-know-whats)" Huh? What happened? Hey! My uniform!"

Barret: (Both Barret and Cloud approach the Engine Chamber, Cloud picks up the restore materia and Barret turns to him.) Once this bomb goes off, the reactor'll be nuthin more than a hunk a junk. Cloud you set the bomb.

Cloud: (Walks up to him and shrugs) Shouldn't you do it?

Barret: "I have to watch you to see if you'll try to pull somethin'"

Cloud: (Shrugs again and a horrible shrieking sound enters his mind, a voice tells him "Watch out! This isn't an ordinary reactor!" Cloud falls to his knees and shakes his head.

Barret: What's wrong? Dammit, get it together!

Cloud: (Gets up and nods and walks up to the engine and sets the bomb. With beeps and a click, the bomb is set, but an alarm goes off. He and Barret look around in confusion.)

Barret: Look out, here it comes! (Cloud turns too)

    The giant robot scorpion approached them. A sign on its side shows the name: "Guard Scorpion" and Cloud and Barret get into a defensive stance. The scorpion uses its tail to attack Cloud but he ducks out of the way. Barret begins firing his gun-arm and the bullets tore into the Scorpion's metal body. The scorpion turned and fired its rifle at Barret, the bullet grazed his arm and created a cut from it. Barret cursed and countered with a bullet blast of his own. Cloud started to meditate and he glowed a bright green. He focused his thoughts and then a bolt of lightning crashed down from the heavens onto the Scorpion, the lightning fizzes and crackles as the scorpion fell on its side. Cloud then rushed in on it. Swiping furiously with his sword, cutting the lunky robot up. The scorpion used its search scope on them both and the tail slowly rose over its head.

Cloud: "Watch out, Barret! Attack while its tail is up and it's gonna counter attack with it's Tail Laser!"

    Barret and Cloud took out potions to heal themselves until they were good and ready to fight.  The scorpion lowered its tail and the fight resumed. Avoiding the Scorpion's terrible swings of the tail, Barrert shot at it's legs until one of them busted off. The scorpion crashed down to the ground. Cloud took the opportunity and did a flurry of Sword attacks on it. The scanners lost power and the scorpion fell lifeless. The gun used on Barret earlier fell to the ground and he picked it up. Barret smiled as he installed the part for a weapon power up.

Barret: "We'd better get out of here, it's gonna blow!" (Barret and Cloud start to run to the ladder and they notice the naked soldier but shrug and move on.  and eventually found Jessie with her leg trapped in the framework)

Cloud: (Kneels down and frees her of it.) "Here."

Jessie: "Thanks!" (Jumps over him and Barret.)

    Cloud follows Barret and Jessie to Biggs and Wedge on the upper level. Jessie opens the security door and Biggs opens the next one.  Within moments, they were running out of the reactor and the explosion started. First there  was a crackle of lightning all over and then the reactor exploded in a fiery blast that could be seen for Miles around. In a dark tunnel, Jessie was setting a bomb to remove debris from the road ahead.

Jessie: "That should keep the planet going, just a little longer. I've got the bomb, Stand back!" (Detonates the bomb and they rush through the fire,  everyone is fine all except Wedge who slightly burned his bottom.)

Cloud: "Hey Barret..."

Barret: "Look, if it's about your money, we'll talk when we get back." (Cloud and everyone else runs off and Cloud takes a different direction.)

    The power lines overhead of her buzzed and crackled with electricity as lights flickered and dimmed around her. Some people were running around and she looked on with interest of why they were acting this way, they probably didn't want to buy a flower from her. One of them suddenly bumped her to the ground as he ran, she didn't get angry or curse but just got up again. Cloud ran by her and she stopped him.

Flower Girl: "What's going on?"

Cloud: "Nothing...hey. (Looks at her pretty face and then at her flowers) don't see many flowers around here." (Shrugs and looks at her)

Flower Girl: "Oh you like them? They're only one Gil." (Looks at him and smiles as he searches his pockets for a Gil. He gives the Gil to her and she sweetly smiles back.) "Thank you." (She walks away from him.)

Cloud: (Runs out of the room but a poster catches his eye. He runs to the poster and reads it.) "Don't be fooled by the Shinra, mako is not unlimited. The planet is withering away so do something about it!" AVALANCHE.

    The flower girl walks away from the flickering section of the town and takes her time. She doesn't know however that she is being followed my a Vice, a thief who's out for her flower earnings. The vice sneaks up on her and knocks her to the ground and scoops her money up.

Flower Girl: That's my money! Stop it!! (Grabs his foot)

Vice: (Trying to shake her off his foot.) "It ain't yo money any more! Now let go of my foot, bitch!" (Kicks her hard enough to make her let go of his foot, He starts.)

Boy: (Opens an air duct in the wall ahead of the crime scene and jumps out. He put his hand on his forehead and groans.) "Good thing I got out of that place in time, wow that was scary!" (Hears the flower girl shout, "Stop Thief!" and looks at the Vice coming his way.) That guy looks suspicious enough! (Analyzes it and carefully leaps up. He comes down on the Vice and tackled him to the ground.) "Give the money back to the lady."

Vice: (Surprised by the force of the blow) "What that hell?!" (Tries to shake off the kid.)

Boy: (Looks him over while tackling him and he saw a pink purse) "This must be it! Take THIS!!" (Grabs the purse and takes the Vice by his foot and started to swing him around. He grunted as he swung the vice low and then released him, launching him into a pile of garbage and trash cans.)

Vice: "Argh!" (Slowly gets up from the trash pile, an egg carton on his head.) "Get me the hell away from this freak!!" (Runs off.)

Boy: (Glares at him as he runs.) "I'm not a freak! How RUDE!"

Flower Girl: (Runs up to him) "Where did he go? Excuse me, but where did the man go?"

Boy: "He's gone. Did you want this back?" (Shows the purse to the Flower Girl) "I found it on this guy when I attacked him."

Flower Girl: "Oh! My money! Thank you so much!" (The Boy gives the Flower girl her purse back.) "You're a pretty good bodyguard for a little kid. How about you escort me to the church in the sector 5 slums."

Boy: "Okay but..."

Flower Girl: "But what?"

Boy: "Where are the sector 5 slums?"

Flower Girl: "What? We're IN the sector 5 slums! You don't even know where you are do you? Well, let's go. I'll show you the way to the church and I'll explain everything to you." (Leaves with him.)

    Meanwhile, in another sector and inside a train car. Cloud, Barret and all of the avalanche members were resting up. Cloud managed to elude the MPs and safely reached the train. Barret was relaxing while Jessie was looking at the Midgar rail monitor system. There was also a homeless man lying on a bench near the back of the car.

Homeless Guy: "This is my house. Make yourselves at home."

Cloud: (Walks up to Barret and he glared at him.) "What?"

Barret: "Stop acting like a damn kid, jus' sit down and shu'up! You got a lot a nerve waltzin' in an' makin' a scene back there."

Cloud: "It's what I do." (Walks over to Jessie)

Jessie: "Hey Cloud, thanks for helping me back there. You want to look at this with me?" (Cloud comes closer and she points stuff out on the screen) "This is the midgar rail system. It has trains that link up the whole city. (She points to the moving object which was the train and then to a Mako reactor.) The mako reactors supply Midgar with electricity, there are 8 in total. We blew up Reactor #1 so that leaves 2-7 left. I like this stuff, bombs, monitors you know, flashy stuff. Right...there's also an identification system that shinra has installed. (Suddenly the security system initiated and everything glowed red. Within seconds, it stopped.) It tells all about the people riding. We're using fake ids so we can ride fine. They'll switch to security mode tomorrow so...I'll have to do something to modify our cards."

Cloud: (Nodds and Jessie smiles. Cloud walks to Barret.)

Barret: "Hey. Look, you can see it now. The upper world."

Cloud: (looks through the window) "A floating city...pretty unsettling scenery."

Barret: "Whoa...never thought I'd hear sumthin' like that from you. You jus full of surprises...well, if that plate weren't there, you could see the sky. (Gains an angry tone) The city below is full of pulluted air. And if it weren't for that @#$%in' pizza, the people wouldn't be sufferin.'

Cloud: Why doesn't everyone just move to the upper plate then?

Barret: Maybe 'cause they don't got no money! Or...maybe it's 'cause they love their land, no matter how polluted it gets.

    The train was preparing to stop, and everyone got off. They ran into the Sector 7 slums. The slums were dingy and depressing but the people were happy, just like Barret said. The electricity was uneffected here. Barret, Wedge, Jessie and Biggs ran into the Bar, Seventh Heaven and the sound of machine gun fire could be heard. Everyone hastily left the bar and Barret walked out. Cloud walked up to him and he nodded for Cloud to enter.
    The bar was pleasant, it had an aroma of food cooking instead of vomit like the other bars Cloud were in. There was where cloud saw her, Tifa. Tifa hadn't changed at all...she was mixing drinks and preparing food. She still had her Aura of optimism. Wedge, Jessie and Biggs were chowing down on the food and downing the drinks. A little girl of about 4 or 5 was also there, she approached but hid behind Tifa when Tifa walked up to Cloud.

Tifa: "Oh, don't mind Marlene. She's a bit shy."

Cloud: "Tifa..."

Tifa: "Flower? For me? (Cloud hands the flower to Tifa and she blushes a bit) Oh cloud, you shouldn't have. You hardly see flowers around anymore. (Barret runs into the bar.) Hi, Barret! How was the mission?"

Barret: "Great! (He turns to his crew) All right, fools! We're startin' the meeting! (Marlene jumps onto hi Barret walks to the pinball machine and slams on it. The pinball machine lowers and they all jump down with it.)

Tifa: "Sit down. (Cloud sits down on a stool.) Would you...like something to drink?"

Cloud: "Yeah, I'd like one." (Cloud sloggs it down)

Tifa: "You fight with Barret?"

Cloud: "No...not this time."

Tifa: "Hmmm...you've grown up. When you were young, you got into fights at the drop of a hat. You'd better go down and see them about the next plan."

Cloud: "Why?"

Tifa: "Just do it!"

    Cloud climbs down and saw the meeting room. It was a mess, there was a dirty looking table which everyone was hanging around. Jessie was working on the next bomb and possibly the new ID's and Barret was punching at a punching bag. Cloud approached him.

Barret: (Punching vigorously and then he turned to him) "Hey, Cloud...were there any people from SOLDIER fighting us now?"

Cloud: "None, I'm positive."

Barret: "Huh? How do you know that?"

Cloud: "You wouldn't be standing here now if there were."

Barret: "Don't go thinkin' you so bad just 'cause you were in SOLDIER....(Barret attempts to get closer to Cloud but Biggs holds him back, only to get punched out.) Yeah, you're strong. Probably all of them guys in soldier are. But don't forget, your skinny ass is working for AVALANCHE now!"

Cloud: (Walks up to him and into his face.) "I'm going upstairs, I want to talk about my money." (He turns to go upstairs but is stopped by Tifa)

Tifa: Wait Cloud!

Barret: Let him go, Tifa! Looks like he misses the Shinra!

Cloud: (turns to Barret) Shut up! I don't care about Shinra nor SOLDIER...but don't get me wrong. I don't care about AVALANCHE or saving the planet either. (Cloud leaves the downstairs and goes back to the Bar just after he gets off of the pinball machine, the pinball machine lowers and Tifa comes up with it.

Tifa: "Cloud, I'm asking you. Please join us..."

Cloud: "It's not my problem. Let Barret and his buddies handle it."

Tifa: "So! You're just going to leave and forget about your childhood friend?!"

Cloud: "...I'm sorry."

Tifa: "You forgot the promise too!"

 Cloud and Tifa go into flashback to when Cloud was about 14 years old. He was waiting for Tifa to join him in the starlit evening but this was the first time he asked her to anything and he was getting cold from the evening air. Tifa finally showed up.

Tifa:  "Sorry, I'm late."

Cloud: "That's okay...come this spring so you know I'll be leaving soon."

Tifa: "Yeah...all the boys are leaving town."

Cloud: "Yeah, but I'm different from them. I'm gonna join SOLDIER!"

Tifa: "SOLDIER...like the great Sephiroth? (Looks at her feet and then at Cloud.) If you make it, will you be in the newspaper?"

Cloud: "I'll try."

Tifa: "Hey, let's make a promise. If you're really famous and I'm in a bind, you'll come rescue me."

Cloud: "What?"

Tifa: "Just promise me!"

Cloud: "Right, I promise." *The flashback ended.

Tifa: "Right so you have to keep your promise."

Cloud: "Well, I'm not a hero and I'm not famous so I can't keep our promise."

Tifa: "You got your childhood dream, you joined SOLDIER so..." (Barret climbed up the poles that were behind the pinball machine to the upper level.)

Barret: "Here!" (Barret throws Cloud a bag with 1500 Gil in it)

Cloud: "This is my pay? Don't make me laugh."

Tifa: "What? Then you'll..."

Cloud: "Got the next mission lined up? I'll do it for 3000 Gil."

Barret: "WHAT!?" (He gets angry)

Tifa: (Leans over and whispers) "We're hurting for help right?"

Barret: (Whispers back) "That money is for Marlene's schoolin'...(Turns to Cloud) 2000!"

Tifa: "Thanks, Cloud."

    Cloud was invited to sleep there at Seventh Heaven for the night. Meanwhile, in sector 5 The Flower Girl took the Boy home to her house. She introduced him to her mother and the Boy got to stay for the night but Aeris and her Mom are first siting down to dinner.

Boy: "Thank you for letting me stay here for a while. Can you please tell me your name?"

Aeris: "My name is Aeris."

Elmyra: "My name is Elmyra"

Boy: "Thank you Aeris and Elmyra!"

Aeris: "What's your name?"

Boy: "I don't know, miss Aeris."

Aeris: (Becomes a little confused) "You don't even know your own name? Where do you live?"

Boy: "I don't know, miss Aeris."

Elmyra: "Do you have any parents?"

Boy: "Probably."

Elmyra: "Do you know of their whereabouts?"

Boy: "I'm not exactly sure if I was even born. I...first opened my eyes in a heavenly place filled with sweet yellowish green water. It was really bright...and I saw a guy wearing a spiffy uniform so I stole it from him. I need to find some real clothes but I don't have any of this Gil everyone's been talking about."

Aeris: "So...you're a street kid. How long have you been on the streets?"

Boy: "About...half a day."

Elmyra: "Are you talking smart to me?!"

Boy: "I don't know what you're talking about. What does "smart" mean anyway?"

Elmyra: "Maybe you really don't know anything..."

Boy: "Could you please give me a name? I don't want to be called boy for the rest of my life."

Elmyra: "You're quite the Vex aren't you?"

Vex: VEX!!!!!! (He shouts out loud and stands up from the table. Aeris and Elmyra are both thrown off guard.) VEX! VEX! VEX! VEX! VEX! VEX! VEX! Vex is the perfect name for me!

Elmyra: "You're right about that..."

Aeris: (Laughs)